Summary:

Norfolk Island pines are some of the most iconic trees in Perth, Western Australia. Recently, a decline of these trees has been observed throughout the city. It is believed that this is due to infection by the fungus Neofusicoccum parvum. However, little to no research has been conducted on the matter. In this study, we assessed the potential causes of the decline of Norfolk Island pines at Somerville Auditorium, UWA. To do so, we compared different plant and soil traits between healthy and sick trees. We found that both healthy and sick trees had access to sufficient water and nutrient resources. Further, there was no trend in the pathogenic communities between sick and healthy trees. Soil compaction under sick trees, however, was almost twice as high as under healthy trees. Soil compaction can reduce water and nutrient uptake, which may consequently result in plant stress. In turn, higher plant stress can increase pathogen susceptibility. We conclude that fungal infections are a symptom of plant stress caused by excessive plant compaction, at least at the site I studied. This may well be different at other locations.

Prsenter Biography: Dr Felipe Albornoz Ramirez

I am originally from Chile, where I obtained my Honours degree in Biological Sciences. Then, in 2012, I moved to Perth and conducted my PhD studies on microbial communities in Western Australia under the supervision of Prof Hans Lambers. Soon after obtaining my PhD, I secured a postdoctoral position at the Oregon State University (OSU) in USA to study the role of soil microorganisms in structuring forest communities. After finishing my position at OSU, I was appointed Research Associate at The University of Western Australia under the supervision of Prof Megan Ryan. Now I am employed at CSIRO to continue postdoctoral research on microbial communities of Australia.